


Silent Treatment

by navyhurricane



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Explicit Language, F/M, Fluff, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Insomnia, M/M, Night Terrors, Nightmares, Verbal Abuse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-07
Updated: 2016-09-07
Packaged: 2018-08-13 12:34:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,570
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7976917
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/navyhurricane/pseuds/navyhurricane
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>You were the forgotten child, the one that never made friends and the one that never seemed good enough. Your childhood made you cold, and you moved away as soon as you could, deciding to attend a high school across the sea so you were away from the verbal abuse of your parents and older sister.</p>
<p>Will it be the same in this new high school? Will you actually make friends with your frozen exterior? There's no chance anybody would have a crush on you, not with how you brush feelings off, so how is this stony faced boy breaking all your walls down with a single sentence?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

          

 

   As soon as the beeping of the alarm goes off, you slam an open palm on the wide button, prepared for the annoying sound. Insomnia kept you awake most of the night, and you're just a light sleeper in reality. The red numbers 7:00 glare at you from the small device.

   Sitting up, you stare at the pale (f/c) blankets in slight shock but remember that you aren't at home. What a relief.

   A warm bundle of fur sits on the left side of the bed, moving when you stand up on the fluffy rug under your bed, the edges spreading out to about a foot past the bed. The small husky puppy uncurls and stretches, pink maw open and tongue curled. A blue and a grey eye stares at you a you gather your uncreased uniform from the organized closet. It was already laid out, complete with socks and underwear. You were a little nervous last night, so you had made sure you had everything.

   The puppy follows you as you open the door in the hall to the bathroom, stepping inside as you get ready to shower. The little canine seems to have abandonment issues.

 

            ~~~

 

   You step out of the bathroom smelling slightly like (fav scent). The crisp white long sleeve shirt is spotless, and the blue and black skirt matches the tie. Black knee highs sit perfectly on your legs, and your hair is done how you like it. Black glasses are perched on the bridge of your nose, glass fake and mostly for show, but you still like to wear them. It reminds you that you are different than your family. None of them wore glasses.

   The emblem of Trost High is basically three symbols put into a circle. On the top third, there's a set of wings, one white and one blue. That's your section of the organization, the Survey Corps. The left bottom is a green unicorn like animal, the Military P's, and the right bottom is a shield and three roses, the Garrison. Very interesting. When you searched it up, you found that they all focused on different goals; the Garrison was worldly protection and social stuff; the Military P's were into the expanding of the country and towns and shit; the Survey Corps have the goal to find and discover new things.

   You step into the kitchen, energetic puppy flitting around your legs. You adopted him from a shelter. He's the runt of his litter of four, and was raised in a place that tested medicines and shit on them. The outcome after he was rescued is that he won't grow fully. His full size is estimated to be about half the regular size. Still, with his mismatched eyes and pale mocha and white fur, you couldn't help but love him at first sight. He might have some bald spots, but you could care less.

   He's opposite to your cat.

   Following the small puppy is a large tabby, deep mocha fur striped with even darker brown. It's probably why her name is Mocha. Her gold eyes are flecked with green, and she has a bad temper to those she doesn't know. She's a better guard dog than a German Shepard, which is good because the husky wouldn't hurt a fly.

   You fill two tin bowls full of different foods, and set them both on the floor. Mocha pads up and starts to lightly eat from one, and the puppy does the same. You still haven't named him. 

   Reaching over the pristine white counter, you open a just-as-clean cabinet and grab a bag of bread from a shelf. The black toaster between the stove and fridge is filled with a slice, and you twirl the bag to reseal it. You sort of need to go shopping.

   You walk a few feet to a wall on the left, where a window blind is. Pulling on the white cord, sunlight filters through into the plain apartment. The kitchen is by the front door, and the counter is along the wall with an L shaped end. The living room is past that, and the hall is in the middle of the joined rooms to the right. Down the hall, there's the bathroom on the right and a guest bedroom on the left, with yours at the very end. You were actually very lucky to have gotten the spacious place at the price you did, and even luckier to be able to house pets. 

   Even though you and your animals don't make much of a mess, you clean every second day. Mop the floors, scrub down the bathroom, dust the guest bedroom, wipe the inside of your stove. You hate anything unclean.

   It's not an actual fear; it's kind of like a wall. If you clean, you won't be reminded of the horrible things your sister used to do. She put sand in your bed, shoved it in your pillow, under the sheets. She sprayed mud all over your closet, your walls and desk. You had to explain why your homework wasn't done the next day. She chewed gum and discarded it in your clothes, she would somehow always find a way to kick up stones or throw them at you. 

   The toast pops, and you nearly jump a foot in the air. You were lost in thought, and the noise scared the crap out of you.

   Quickly buttering it, you carry the toast around in your lips as you gather paper and the needed textbooks in your black messenger bag. In the side pockets, you stuff a few bills and coins in for lunch, and in a secret pocket, emergency lady stuff in.

   Snatching up your phone from the counter, you stare at the black screen for a few seconds before turning it on.

   You can't see the background because of all the notifications on the lock screen. Missed calls, texts, direct messages all from random numbers. Those random numbers used to be in your contacts, but you deleted them long ago. You can't block them, because although you can't stand your family, you would blame yourself if something bad happened and you didn't know. If anything, you’ve got some sort of guilty conscience disorder. Stockholm Syndrome seems too harsh, so you guess it doesn’t count?

   Sighing, you type in your password and stare at the background picture. It's one of you and your pets, the day after you brought home the puppy. Mocha was ecstatic to have a new playmate, and was snuggled to to the dog all day. You decided to rouse them a bit, put them on either side of you and snap a selfie. You actually look really pretty in it, joyful grin on your lips and glasses slid down a bit. Mocha had her eyes wide open, and the puppy had tilted his head. You had put a slightly pale tinged filter on it, and set it as your favourite background.

   You unroll the neat pair of black earbuds from your pocket, and plug them in to your phone. Closing the blinds slightly, you reach up on the fridge to turn the radio on, music blaring through the small speaker until you turn it down. The animals like the slight noise, but the television is too expensive to run all day. 

   The kid that lives to the right of you likes animals, so you pay him to walk your dog every week, twice a day. He knows where the secret key is outside, and you change it each time, for safety reasons. You let the parents know, and they tell the kid. 

   Walking to the door, you grab your house keys off a shelf. A small 3-D plastic cat emoji dangles from the four keys, the one that's smiling with its eyes closed. 

   A brass key is for your front door. A chipped silver one is for the windows, and a new silver on is for your storage room. The copper one...

   The copper key will never be used again.

 

            ~~~

 

   You close the blue locker door with a satisfying slam, turning on your heel with your binders and textbooks in arms. The walls are lined with lockers, the white checkered floor shiny and squeaky under running feet. 

   Your mind is on the topic of French. One of the people in the apartment complex speaks it fluently, and you already know it extremely well. You wouldn’t call yourself fluent, but next to Spanish, you’re much better at French. You might have to go down and chat with them. 

   You turn a corner, and abruptly bump into a solid body. You don't even glance up, and speak a quick apology to the person, sidestepping easily and continuing like nothing ever happened. You don't even render what you said to the person until you sit down in your desk.

    _Shit. I apologized in French._

   That language isn't a class here, so it's a slim chance that anybody would know it. You only learned it because your mother forced you to. Luckily, you enjoyed most of it so you took the time to teach yourself Spanish as well. The language barriers when you travelled were less of a hassle.

   The teacher walks in, and you glance up at her. Her ginger hair and kind eyes seem nice, but her pressed black pencil skirt and baby blue sweater give her the same strict air as every teacher ever.

   "Hello everyone. My name is Miss Ral. You can call me that, or even Miss R, either will do."

   Her brown eyes settle on you, at the far back corner of the otherwise full room. You meet her gaze coolly, nothing showing on your expressionless face. She smiles at you, and you soften your icy exterior slightly, just enough to show a tiny simper.

   "Class, I know you all already know each other from past classes, but we have a new student." Eyes turn to you, but you stay nonchalant. "(Y/n) is here from a different country. Please try to make friends with her, as she is new. Now, open your books to page..."

   A few sets of eyes stay on you as you do what the teacher says, jotting down the answers on your paper. You repress the urge to squirm under the attention, hating being in the spotlight for long. It's going to be a long day.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lunch time~

            

 

   You stand in front of the vending machine, staring at your options. Juice, milk, water. Pretzels, chips, etc. 

   You slide the appropriate amount of money into the machine and press the buttons for (fav juice) and (fav chip flavour). They fall to the bottom, and the extra change clinks in the coin return. You bend down to retrieve it all, and the coins fall in your skirt pocket while you open the straw on the juice and drink from it lightly. 

   The cafeteria is packed. People sit at all the white tables, chatting and eating quickly for some reason. You can differentiate the freshman and sophomores and then the juniors and seniors from each other. Some look scared or intimidated, whereas others have a look of confidence on their faces. You don't have any look.

   Moving over to lean against the wall, you type in your password on your phone and see a new message from an unknown number.

    _(Unknown Number)_

_You bitch! Get you sorry ass back home NOW! We have to keep sending you money because we need to cover for you fucking shit, but once you turn 18..._

_You will pay for leaving us._

 

   You stare blankly at the text, and promptly screenshot it and then the number before deleting the conversation. A text below it tells you that your dog is walked today, and that he was all good. The kid also changed the cat litter. You make a mental note to pay him extra for it.

   A dark shadow looms over you, and you turn your face up to see a really tall guy with gold eyes. His broad face amd two toned hair make him look like...a horse? He's breathing a little hard, and you think it's disgusting. 

   "Can I help you?" Your disgust seeps into your voice a bit, and you frown, glaring slightly. His white shirt is rolled up to his elbows, and the dark slacks are the same black and blue plaid as your skirt. You glance at his main emblem, finding it the same as yours.

   "You're in my spot."

   At this point, the entire cafeteria is silent, all watching the face off between a junior and a sophomore. You blink, and bring your juice to your mouth, sipping and turning your attention back to your phone. The guy stiffens, and you glance back up, straw in your mouth. The guy looks mad now.

   "That's my spot, I said!"

   You raise a brow, starting to get pissed of by the amount of sweat he's secreting. Did he run somewhere?

   "I heard you. I'm not deaf."

   The guy appears to be livid. Just great. Your phone buzzes, and you snap your eyes down to the abiding text. Furrowing your brows, you delete the degrading sentences.

   "Then move, bitch."

   Your lips curve down slightly, and the grip on your phone tightens. A drop of saliva flew out of his mouth, and hit your glasses. That is the last straw. 

   "You know what? I don't see your name on the fucking wall, now do I?" You glare hard at the guy, not even trying to scare him but it works like a charm. "What kind of paint is on it? Did you buy it? What is the wall made of? How much was it?" With every word, you step closer, causing him to stumble back until he hits a juniors table. 

   "You fucking smell. Next time, before you decide to corner somebody, try to put on a little cologne because you remind me of a dead horse." You hear low laughs, but you still continue your assault. "I don't enjoy wiping horse slobber off my glasses. Next time, don't shit your pants, don't blubber like a baby, and definitely shower before you come within thirty feet of me. You'll do the world a favour."

   You remove your glasses and look at them through the light. "I would wipe your own shit on you, but my glasses would just get dirtier." The boy looks pale and shocked. You crack an evil smirk that sends him reeling backwards. "Try again next time, bitch."

   With your last statement, you suck on your juice box, return to your neutral face and stare at the astonished faces in the cafeteria. 

   You turn on your heel, and throw the juice box out as you go. The first day and you already hate it.

 

            ~~~

 

   As you walk out of class, the whispers start up. You ignore them with a plain face, holding your binders tightly because of the three textbooks on top. The teacher thought it'd be awesome to give the student extra homework, but didn't think about your small size and medium strength. The textbooks are fucking heavy.

   You open the locker, and accidentally hit the person beside you on the shoulder. "Sorry," you mutter, making sure it's in the right language this time. 

   "Brat, you just fucking trying to beat me up today?"

   You don't glance up at the rude words, used to them by miles. Instead, you grab your bag, place the books inside and grab your phone, scrolling through the number of texts just on the lock screen. Damn, who pissed in their cornflakes today? There’s twice as much as usual.

   "What, you too busy chatting to feel sorry? How rude."

   The word hypocrite flashes through your mind, and you just stop the smirk in time. You finally look at your neighbor.

   Sleek raven hair, styled perfectly without even trying. Pale but amazing skin, high cheekbones and a handsome face. 

   His eyes...

   If you combined your dogs eyes together, you would get this colour. A mix of blue and grey, perfectly beautiful and capturing. You almost - ALMOST - blush at his face.

   You slam the locker door hard, emitting a loud bang in the hallway. A dark eyebrow cocks, but you just send a glare his way and brush past him, gasps collecting around the hallway for some reason. 

   Somewhere in the back of your mind, the thought that he looks familiar burns with intensity. 

 

            ~~~

 

   "I'm home."

   You close the door to your apartment, sliding your shoes off so you can slip them into (f/c) slippers. The radio is still playing. Mocha curls around your legs as you walk to the dining room, setting your bag not so carefully on the white surface. You glance at the sofa, and see your puppy sleeping on it. 

   You grumble out a few curses, but don't do anything to change it. He's comfy, and who are you to disturb that? You can just vacuum the hair off after. It’s coming up on Friday anyways.

   You open the blinds in the kitchen and the one on the other side of the door, the sunlight streaming in. You aren't going to use extra electricity if you don't have to, and you like the way the natural light falls on your walls. The apartment complex faces northeast, so you get the best light in the morning.

   Mocha meows, and you glance down to run a hand down her spine, making her arch it. You smile gently at her, scratching her cheek tenderly as she pushes into your hand, begging for more.

   You unwillingly retract your hand, moving it to the fridge to open the silver appliance. You grab (fav fruit), and the tall carton of (fav juice). You honestly don't eat a whole lot, used to skipping meals to avoid your family. You hid snacks in your room so you did have something to eat.

   Turning up the radio a bit before sitting down, you sip the juice from a tall glass and open your bag for the binders and textbooks. Math and History. You excel at both.

   Using your phone as a calculator, you grab your writing utensil and flip the Math book to the right page, neatly writing down the answers to questions. You hardly have to think hard about it, flying right through the questions and pages like you wrote the book. You had plenty of time to work on math at home, going to far as to find different websites with more courses to expand your knowledge.

   After you finish, you check the answers online. All of them are correct.

   You glance at the circular black clock on the wall. It's been less than 45 minutes. Not bad for ten extra pages.

   Mocha starts to complain, and you stand up to refill her bowl, finding your dog still asleep. You wish you could be that successful, so to make up for it, you hurry back and replace the Math for History.

   You're learning a bit about cultures and stuff, and one of them is Hinduism. You read the black text, head in your hand and hand writing notes as you go. One of the names are bolded, and you decide to search it up.

   "Shiva, the auspicious one..." You mutter, already knowing auspicious basically means believed to succeed. Or perhaps favourable? Both seem to work.

   You frown, staring hard at the bold letters. "Shiva..." A yawn in the back of the room catches your attention, and you glance over to see the puppy stretching. 

   You smile slightly. "Shiva." The dogs ears snap up at your voice, and you decide that's his name. 

   "Shiva. I like it."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Idk why I made Jean an asshole this chapter. He won't be in future ones, but I kind of had fun writing this!!
> 
>  
> 
> Thanks SO MUCH to awkiemo for the name Shiva!! It's unique, and I made it so it didn't seem so random! XD
> 
> Hope you enjoyed!!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What does the next day hold...?
> 
> A quick note
> 
> "~ 
> 
> ^this order and then the words after it means singing. Don't get confused!! XP

            ~Your POV~

 

   The counter under your ass is slightly cold. Your legs bounce unconsciously, radio still playing. You scroll through the new messages on your phone, sipping a glass of water leisurely. 

    _(Unknown Number)_

_Bitch._

_(Unknown Number)_

_Mom said today that she should have never had another daughter._

_(Unknown Number)_

_Rot in hell, you fucking bitch._

_(Unknown Number)_

_I never called you a daughter. I have a better name._

_A fucking disgrace._

 

   You screenshot the texts, and promptly delete them. Shiva trots down the hall, nails clicking on the wood linoleum, making his way to the water dish. Mocha is somewhere sleeping. You aren't really worried about her. You're more worried about your face.

   Currently, it's 2:16 a.m.

   Insomnia is a bitch, especially when you've experienced her wrath since preschool. You don’t like how the prescription drugs affect your dreams, and you refuse to take more medications for nightmares. That shit’s expensive.

   You rub at the dark circles forming under your eyes, setting the glass down beside the gleaming sink. Normally, a little concealer hides it, but you legit just ran out and you aren't going to go traipsing down to anywhere at 2a.m.

   You hum along to the radio, your long sleeve shirt somewhat baggy. The pajama shorts are fluffy and soft, and you wear your slippers. 

   "~Help, I have done it again." 

   "~I have been here many times before. 

   "~Hurt my myself again today."

   "~And the worst part is there's no one else to blame."

   You can really relate to Sia, Breathe Me. 

   "~Be my friend." You chuckle lightly. As if.

   "~Hold me, wrap me up."

   "~Unfold me."

   "~I am small, and needy."

   "~Warm me up, and breathe me."

   You can't match Sia's croaky voice, but you make your own ways work. You hop off the counter and reach down to pet Shiva on the head, the dog perking up when you do.

   You smile at him. "What are you doing up, huh? It's bedtime. Go to bed." With your words, Shiva moves to the couch and leaps up on it, spinning thrice before settling down with a sigh. Dogs are so smart, and they love you without an ulterior motive. They don’t care about your past; they just want your present and hopefully your future. Much better than people.

   You reach up on the fridge to turn the radio down a bit, and then the kitchen light off, immersing yourself in the dark. Vehicles drive past, but you can barely hear them as you walk down the hall and flop in bed, hoping to get at least three hours of sleep.

 

            ~~~

 

   You close the door, locking it as birds sing on the rails right beside you. Your apartment complex is a little different, with a large living area inside and one door, leading outside to a raised platform that has stairs leading off on both sides. It's neat, and other people live underneath you, but they obviously don't have stairs. 

   Keys jangle as you put them in you bag, stoic expression back in its regular place. You shoot a quick text to the kids parents - Hanna and Franz - for Thomas, the small blonde kid who walks Shiva. Oh, you need to tell him you named him too.

   Your left earbud is in, playing music quietly, waiting to be turned up so you can't hear anything else. You hear another door open and close, vaguely registering that it's the one on your left.

   "The fuck are you doing here?"

   You stiffen, and glance over at the same boy that your locker is next to. Raven locks are slightly damp, but his shirt is completely wrinkle free, like yours. 

   You feel your brows draw together. "I live here."

   The boy snorts. "Nice to meet you, neighbor. The fuck's your name?"

   You put your phone away, having sent the texts. "(Y/n)." A pointed look makes him respond in kind.

   "Levi. You're the sassy ass new girl." You let a small smirk slip on your face. "Amazing. Now, I'm leaving. Bye." 

   You like to walk alone, and since he probably doesn't want to walk with the 'sassy ass girl'. The school is only two blocks away, and you normally listen to your music. Turning up the volume, you walk down the length of the concrete platform and down the metal grate stairs, shoulder hurting from your bags fucking extra weight. 

   Like you expected, he doesn't call you back. Whatever. It's nothing new. You wanted friends, but it doesn’t look like anybody wants to make an effort for you. It doesn’t help that you didn’t exactly make the best impression at lunch...

 

            ~~~

 

   You stand patiently as Mr. Jinn skims his dark eyes over your Math homework. The perfectly stapled and neat papers are handed back to you as he jots numbers down in his books, presumably your mark. 

   You move to go sit down, and instead bump into a girl who gives you the most dirtiest look she could muster. You don't react, just brush your skirt off casually and continue your path past her overly perfumed body. That doesn't mean you didn't snatch her black mechanical pencil out of her skirt pocket on the way past. 

   You pull your skirt under you before you sit down, smoothing the fabric after. You wait patiently for the rest of the class to finish getting marked.

   A few minutes later, Mr. Jinn steps to the front of the room and clears his throat, leaving on the podium like stand at the front. 

   "So...obviously you all struggled with this. I can tell almost none of you were paying attention." The blonde teacher frowns, glancing at his sheet again. "Almost. Somebody did get full marks on all twenty six questions..."

   That caught people's attention. They all start muttering possible names, none of them yours. Mr Jinn clears his throat again, demanding the focus back. "I strongly suggest you ask her for tips after this. Kudos to Miss (Y/n) for getting all questions correct."

   Eyes snap to you, but you don't give them any look, zipping up your binder just as the bell rings for lunch. You stand, aware of the attention on you, and you hate it. Can't they just ignore you? If they don’t want to be friends and encourage you and are instead jealous, you don’t want to be the focus of their attention. 

   You rub your eyes. You didn't even get two hours of sleep. You woke up at 3:29, marking the end of your possible rest. The stupid insomnia is one of the endless reasons your family hates you. They would find you up at 4 a.m, reading or playing a game on your computer. It sucked shit.

   You walk out of the classroom, stifling a yawn. In your distraction, you don't see the tall boy you run into.

   His force knocks you back, and you land on the floor with your books beside you messily. Your hair falls over your eyes a bit, and you don't move for about two seconds. You hear his frantic apologies, but don't respond in any way. You gather your books, and stand up, brushing your skirt off carefully and then your binders.  

   "Oi, Marco, just ignore her. She's plain anyways." You don't react to the insult, waiting for the two boys to move along. One of them is the one that you insulted yesterday, and the other - Marco? - seems a little nicer. 

   You stiffen when a hand is offered to be shook. Staring at it, you shift your binders to your hip and shake the outstretched limb cautiously. This is new. 

   "Hi, I'm Marco!" You turn your gaze high up into smiling eyes and a freckled face, sadly not returning the grin due to wariness. 

   "(Y/n)."

   The boy smiles wider, if possible, and you part hands. "Sorry about running into you. Jean was in a hurry, so I tried to keep up with him." You turn your gaze to the other boy, presumably named Jean, who has an unimpressed look on his face. 

   "It's alright." Marco nods, and you tilt your head at Jean. "Do I know your from somewhere?"

   The boy flushes and grits his teeth, making you curve your lips up in a small smile and giggle at him. For some reason, you get more stares from the other guys in the hall, and maybe a few girls. "Just kidding. Sorry about yesterday, Jean. I was..." You search for the right words. "In a bad mood."

   Jean relaxes, and his own smirk appears. "It's fine. Plus, that was a pretty good roasting I got. And probably deserved," he adds with a chuckle. The broad buy hooks his arm around Marco's neck, forcing the freckled boy to blush slightly. 

   "We're headed to the cafeteria. Wanna join?" You blink. This is completely new. Holy shit. This is...this is...amazing! 

   You break out in a full smile, nodding your head and cheeks tinting pink. You forget about the texts last night, and the useless adventure called sleep.

   Then your phone buzzes in your pocket.

 

            ~~~

 

   You reach down to grab the box of (fav juice) from the vending machine slot, other hand grabbing the extra coins. There's nobody behind you, so you just spin on your heel and turn towards Marco and Jean. 

   The atmosphere in the cafeteria turns confused as you sit with them, getting offered and returning the smile from Marco. You feel gazes on your back, and turn around to raise a brow at them cockily. Heads snap back around at breakneck speeds, making you giggle again.

   "Is that all you're having, (Y/n)?" You look at Jean as you poke the straw through the right spot. As you sip on the drink, you nod, explaining to him you don't have a large appetite. He nods, and goes back to eating his own lunch with a happy face.

   You peek into his container, finding white rice and pieces of meat that look damn good. Frowning, you see that Marco's is the exact same. "Nice. You guys live together or your mothers are twins?" Jean stiffens as Marco blushes. You feel a smirk coming on, and your brain clicks. You lower your voice, still not too sure of this schools idea on LGBTQ matters. "You dating?" The blush on Jean's face comfirms it, and you see their distress.

   "Don't worry! I completely support it! Plus, you make a cute couple..." Marco chokes on a mouthful of rice, making you laugh under the worried glare of Jean. After Marco recovers, he slips into his own fit of giggles. Jean automatically smiles at his boyfriend, and you feel a slight buzz in your chest at the thought of making friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IM SO SORRY THAT IVE BEEN DEAD FOR A LONG TIME *runs around room throwing clothes in hamper and cleaning up study cards* High School sucks crap. Speaking of that, I have a test on Tuesday!!! NOO MY LIFE anyways hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I will use my weekend to try and update in my free time!!
> 
>  
> 
> I may be starting on a new story just for shits and giggles XJ


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ITS THE WEEKEND~

           

 

   It's Friday night, and that means it's time for you to do a full clean of your place. 

   You pull your hair back in a ponytail (if it's short, put a headband on) and slip the white apron over your head, the bottom reaching your knees. The long sleeve navy shirt has the school logo on the left breast side, and your leggings are pantyline free, curtesy of your favourite thong. 

   You reach into the bathroom closet and grab the half full spray bottle of multipurpose cleaner and clean rags. You spray the bathroom counter, since you already moved the soap bottle, toothbrush holder and cup out of the way. The white granite gleams under the slight bubbles of the cleaner, and you wipe the strong smelling stuff away. You wipe the counter until it's dry, and run a water dampened cloth over it to rid it of any white residue marks. You do the same to the sink, dark cupboards, surrounding white walls and then the mirror. You end up humming a song while doing it, not even registering the tune coming through your lips.

   The toilet and shower are next. You use the same spray, as its one of your own concoctions and works on everything. Literally everything. Food stains? Gone. Rust? Wiped away. Burn residue? Poof, magically disappeared. It's got a few drops of lemon and pine oil, giving it a crisp but clean scent.

   You wipe the checkered walls of the shower quickly, wanting to hurry and get to the living room couches. Shiva and Mocha combined make enough hair that it makes you shudder. Good thing you love them to death and are completely willing to make sacrifices for them.

   Putting away the dirty rags, you grab a sticky roller from the same closet. You have two closets; one for clothes and one for cleaning supplies. The cleaning one is just a cabinet like thing in the corner of the room, whereas your clothes closet is built into the apartment. The moving people gave you weird looks when they brought it in, but you just stared back with a subtle glare. Piercing (e/c) hues made them work double time. 

   White and brown fur sticks to the sticky white roller as you run it over the black love seat. You do the same to the singular one, satisfied after doing it three more times each. None of the hair floats to the carpet below because you rip the layer off before. You're such a pro.

 

            ~~~

 

   You dump the used water down the toilet. You just finished mopping, and the slightly smell of Windex and lemons lingers in the rooms. The counters gleam, fridge fingerprint free and the interior of the stove is better than brand new. Standing in the middle of your clean haven, you smile softly as the floor is dust free and the walls have no nothing on them. 

   There's a knock at the door, followed by more rapid pounds. You frown, and make our way over to the door. Shiva starts to bark, planted right in front of the door firmly. Damn guard dog. In the corner of your eye, Mocha jumps on the counter and hisses. Damn guard cat. Luckily, she wont go anywhere. You wind your fingers around his black collar and pull him back before you open the door.

   "Shorty! I didn't know you had a dog-oh." 

   You blink as you come face to face with a woman who matches the personality of your dog. Speaking of dog, Shiva is attempting to squeeze past the woman, your fingers slipping on his collar. The girl glances at your shirt, and breaks out in a wide smile. You realize she's wearing the same one. Her glasses gleam in the fading daylight, making you cringe at the evil image that forms in your mind. Thanks, horror movies.

   "Hi! I'm Hange Zoë!" You falter as she introduces herself, and lose your grip on Shiva's collar. The small puppy wriggles past the girl, and you yelp as he darts left. Shit, the stairs lead right to the road-! 

   "Shiva!"

   You hear an grunt, a yip, and then a couple of swears.

   Rushing out your door to find your dog, you see your next door neighbor. He's sitting on the ground with Shiva panting in his face. You grimace, knowing how much you hate that. His breath is way better than any other dogs, but the dripping saliva and hot breaths-just ew.

   "Shiva, stop that! It's filthy!" The dog perks up at his name, and turn back to you with a wagging tail. Levi runs a hand through his hair, and uses his door to pull himself up. You pretend to not notice the way his arms flex, cheeks tinged pink and eyes sliding away.

   "Hey, Shorty!"

   You look up to the girl with an instinctive answer.

   "Sorry, Nee-chan."

   However, at the same time Levi grunts his own acknowledgement. Silver eyes dart to yours. Your eyes go wide as you realize what you did, and you snatch the black collar and bring the small dog back inside. 

   It's not your fault you got called that by your sister and father, and not as kindly.

 

            ~~~

 

   Levi grumbles a few more curses before glaring at Hange. She has a strange look on her face - like always - but right now it looks like she's thinking. Or constipated. Or both. Levi never knows exactly, and he’s not willing to risk his own life and ask.

   The look disappears. "So, who's she?" Levi rolls his eyes at her smug look. "Not my girlfriend, if that what you're thinking in that shitty brain." She visibly droops, but the look doesn't last long because she perks up when puffs of air brush against the top of Levi’s head. "Hey, Mike!"

   Levi looks up at the giant. Stealthy bastard. He smirks about something, and waves at Hange. Then he sniffs again and looks at the shortest member. “Were you cleaning?" 

   Levi shakes his head, ignoring the chide from Hange, "That's new. You're always cleaning."

   Mike frowns. "I smell Windex. And a lot of it." 

   Hange takes the chance to piss me off. "Maybe it is Shorty! He always has a bottle of the stuff up his ass, right?" Flipping her off before exiting into his own apartment, Levi leaves the door open so that she doesn't break it down. The scary ass woman hates being ignored.

   He flops down on the leather couch, glaring as the woman slams the door. "Oi, Glasses, I don't want to need to replace that." She laughs, ignoring his - mostly - empty threat. She sits down at the table,  baggy grey sweatpants obviously comfy. She's wearing the schools navy shirt. Mike has a black t-shirt on, and jeans. Casual dress for all of them.

   "So, why the hell are both of you here?"

   Mike grins. "Don't you want to hear the gossip on Erwin and Petra?"

   Erwin is the president of the schools student council. Just like Dot Pixis is the vice principal of Garrison, and like Nile Dok is the student council president of the MP's. The main principal of all schools sections is Darius Zackly.

   Levi cracks a smirk, and leans forwards. "Spill."

   "So, apparently Erwin was out in the mall with Petra. They had lunch, shopped and left together. Erwin then came in late for a weekend meeting, which he never does." Levi sighs, and rests his chin in the palm of his hand. He shoots an accusing look at Hange. "Glasses...did you stalk them to get this? Everybody knows you aren't in student council." Said woman holds a finger to her lips sarcastically.

   Levi prepares to say something, but a crash from next door stops him. Mike blinks, him and Hange going over to press their ears against the white wall. A muffled voice sounds out from the other side, and both of them break out in uncontrollable laughter. 

   Mike wipes away tears as Levi raises a dark brow. "She screamed, 'You asshole cat! I just cleaned my entire house and you just decide to knock the plant over now?!'" He laughs again. "It's a female Levi."

   Scowling, Levi turns away from the duo. They might as well start dating since they're so close, and not all of their conversations are best friend friendly. He’s convinced there's definitely some R-rated shit mixed in.

   Mike sniffs the wall, but Levi ignores it. It's so normal, it's like he's just breathing. "The smell is coming from her place."

   Hange rolls her eyes. "Pervert."

   "I am not."

   "Are too."

   "Are not."

   Levi pinched the bridge of his nose. Seriously, these two... "Shut up, you two. I barely slept at all last night." An arm wraps around his pale neck, and the slight smell of perfume hits him. 

   "Aw~, Shorty, are you grumpy? Didn't we say see somebody about that insomnia?" She turns serious halfway through her sentence, switching from her carefree persona to her concerned childhood friend one.

   Levi stands up suddenly, effectively throwing her arms off his neck. "Easier said than done, Shitty Glasses."

 

            ~~~

 

   You finish re-mopping the floor, throwing glares at your indifferent cat. She just lifts her tail in the air and walks around like a queen. Stupid animal. Lucky her, you can't bear to part with the first pet you raised independently. 

   You sigh, and hear your phone ring. It's different than the plain ones; this one is fun and was chose by Jean for his personal ringtone. He had bought it, and then went on to surprise you with a call

   You pick up. "Hello?"

   "Hey, (Y/n)!" It's Marco on Jean's phone. "We were wondering if you wanted to come over to mine. It's movie night for us."

   You blink, definitely not used to this. Your heart pounds in excitement. "What time and where?" 

   After getting details, you almost drop your phone, smiling with glee and laughing quietly because of it. You...have friends. You got invited somewhere. Oh, my god. You giggle slightly before going to get ready.

 

            ~~~

 

   After grabbing your black and white worn converse, you grab a black leather jacket and sling it over your shoulders, leaving it undone. Your wallet gets shoved inside a pocket, your phone in the other. You say a quick goodbye to Shiva and Mocha, then grab the keys and lock the door after you get outside.

   It's not too dark yet, and apparently Marco's is close, less than four blocks. Easy walking distance. 

   You shoot a quick text to Marco saying you'll be there in less than fifteen, and pull up the collar of your jacket before making your way down the metal stairs.

   You walk past a row of houses. The back of your neck prickles, and you turn around with your eyebrows scrunched. Odd. Slowly turning back around, you cautiously continue. You’re just clueing in that walking alone late at night when you’re female and small isn’t the best idea.

   There's nobody on the sidewalk, the random vehicle driving past and gleaming under the streetlights. Trees that the sidewalk is built around make you sidestep a little, then continue. Your steps are quiet but apparent on the concrete. It’s not unsettling, but it does set you on edge.

   You make it to the street end, and then walk the next block. You feel a shiver go down your back as the prickly feeling returns. Spinning around quickly, you don't see anybody. You frown, a cold feeling rising in your gut.

   You're just getting to the fourth block when you hear rapid steps behind you. Heartbeat racing, you turn and run to the correct house number, basking in relief as the light outside the house come on. 

   The door opens, and Jean's broad face appears in the light filled house. He breaks out in a wide grin, and invites you inside. The smell of popcorn wafts down the hall, and you feel yourself drooling. You don’t buy popcorn normally, opting to spend your money on spices and frozen meats.

   You kick your shoes off, and walk across the carpet floor behind Jean's broad back. Marco sits on a large leather couch, sweats and shirt casual, just like Jean. You shrug your jacket off, and plop down on the couch next to Marco, pinching a few pieces of popcorn off the top of his bowl. The movie is paused, showing nothing but a black screen. 

   "What movie?"

   "The Conjuring."

   "Nice." 

   You snatch a few more popcorn pieces, and relax as Jean leaps over the back of the couch to sit beside Marco. He starts the movie, and you shiver in delight as it starts. As you watch the movie, your mind spins with thoughts. 

    _I'm at a friends house._

_I'm watching a movie with my friends._  

_Who was following me?_

_Who were Levi's friends? They looked nice._

_Is Levi a friend of mine? That'd be nice._

   You don't even mind when Marco yelps at a scary part, burrowing his face into a laughing Jean's shoulder. You smile freely at them, not even registering when your phone buzzes multiple times in your jacket, on the other side of the room.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The day after~~~
> 
> XJ

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm trying to get some chapters posted on all my fics, so yea.
> 
>  
> 
> Enjoy!!

           

 

   You end up getting walked back after the move, Jean and Marco subtly holding hands behind you. You finally stop about a block away from your place, turning to them with hands on your hips.

   "Hold hands properly. I think it's perfect you're together. Show it off to others that you have a special person."

   All the way to yours, Marco wears a large smile while Jean smirks triumphantly. 

   You wave goodbye to the pair, and turn to unlock your door. Your slightly cold hands fumble, and you drop your keys. "Shit." You squat down to collect them, eyes downcast at the concrete so you barely notice when a large dark shape floats past you, heading to the opposite end of the apartments. You shiver as cold air whisks your neck, but are oblivious to the person who passed. You finally get your keys in the door lock and make your way inside. 

 

            ~~~

 

   After quickly walking Shiva, you put down new water for them and get a glass yourself. It's Friday. You almost never get to sleep on Fridays. Probably because of the parties the person below you always has. It's not unusual for your floor to pulse with noise and have random drunk people knock on your door at 4 a.m. Surprisingly, there's no obnoxious sounds coming from downstairs, so that's a bit of relief.

   You breath deeply after swallowing the last sip of water, rinsing out the glass and drying it before setting it upside down in the cupboard. Only the light above the dining table is on, emitting dark shadows to cross the floor. Mocha yawns, and leaps up onto the couch to sleep. Shiva makes his way down the hall, where you know he will find rest on your bed.

   Following the dog, your slippered feet are quiet on the wood linoleum. You step into your bedroom to see the dog on your bed. The sheets around him are still pulled tight, but the part under his body is rumpled. Whatever. It's not like you use it lots, anyways. 

   Pulling your shirt off, you unclasp the bra, shrugging on an oversized t-shirt. You remember buying it from a store outside of the city. The leggings and underwear are peeled off next, replaced by fuzzy sleep shorts that show the bottom of your ass cheek. It's not like anybody will be seeing it anytime soon.

   You run a hand through your (h/l) hair, fatigue setting in but there's nothing you can do about it. Sleeping pills are a waste of money, home remedies are useless. Sleeping drops do fuck all and meditation gives you devastating nightmares. You've kind of accepted the fate of an insomniac: to never get a decent sleep again.

   You make your way to the bathroom, a plain plastic night light plugged into the wall. Harsh light hurts your head, so you leave it off and use the night light to guide you instead. You got them for a good deal, and at night, they're your main source of light. 

   Bracing both hands on the sink counter, you stare into your eyes via the mirror. Bloodshot and red rimmed. Dark bags and dilated pupils. You rub at your cheeks, pinch them a few times, but it only succeeds in making them glow red. The colour doesn't look natural to you, but it works to fool others. Blinking harshly, you decide to brush your teeth, like a normal person would do before bed. However, your head is buzzing with thoughts over medication. Should you see if you can get in with someone professional to see if there’s some kind of med for you? Something for your anxiety would help too.

   “Shoutout to all the high schoolers across the world who suffer it in silence,” you mutter sarcastically, watching your lips move in the mirror.

   Keeping the light off, your burning eyes adjust to the dark and you easily prep the toothbrush for brushing. Mint attacks your tastebuds as you draw the bristles back and forth over your teeth, the air silent except for the radio in the background. The bathroom still smells faintly of cleaner, but it's a comforting scent.

   You spit and rinse, already dreading the time that you will end up waking up as you crawl into bed, and close your eyes.

 

            ~~~

 

   The alarm clock shows the numbers 5:47, red and obvious. You slept for over five hours! Smiling, you silently congratulate your brain for sleeping, and throw the covers back to stand up. No sun peeks through your windows, but you stil make your way without falling. Obviously. You're room is spotless.

   Stretching your arms above your head, your feet stick to the hall slightly as the kitchen area gets closer, the radio presenting quiet but energetic music. Your stomach growls, something that's unusual.

   You open the fridge, grabbing out leftover (your fav) takeout. Almost like your in fast forward, you put the food on a plate, nuke it, jump over the back of the couch and turn the large tv on.

   You scroll to Netflix, shows appearing on the screen. You press the button so Attack on Titan starts. You're on the episode where Jeager gets beat by Rivaille in the court. You squeal fangirlishly as the characters appear, leather belts and brown jackets making you blush. You've always had a thing for the straps, and your favourite character in them-

   Just damn.

   You eat your takeout as you watch the show, getting through more episodes than you wanted to. Finally, the sun peeks through the windows, making you sigh and shut your show off. You need to go shopping today.

   You get up and place your dish in the sink. You hear a purr, and Mocha rubs against your legs. You reach down to let the sassy cat, smiling as she presses into your fingers for more friction.

   You wrap your hands around her ribs and back feet, lifting the feline easily and comfortably. Mocha vibrates with her sounds of contentment, and you unconsciously sway back and forth with her in your arms.

 

            ~~~

 

   You pull the corner of your sheet down, making your bed flawlessly. No wrinkles or links are visible, just smooth pale (f/c). 

   You open your closet door and stare at your options. Pouting your lips, you scratch your head before grabbing a grey skater skirt. You hold up the fabric, and nod at it approvingly. It’s creeping up on autumn, your favourite season, so now the fall clothes can start creeping out of the closet.

   An oversized white sweatshirt is next, one with a black graphic design on the front. (Make up your own design! XJ)

   You pull off your shirt, grabbing a bra from the open closet at the same time. You shimmy out of your shorts, and pull a matching pair of underwear out too, just cuz you feel cute today.

   Tucking just the very bottom of the sweater into the skirt, you pull on the fabric a bit to give it a nice look. Twirling a few times, you decide to put your hair up in a pro messy bun, the loose strands of hair falling out where they need to so it's perfect. You snatch your brown shoulder bag from the closet, closing the doors right after.

   Shiva sits by the front door, whining slightly. You wince, hurrying to fetch your brown flats before he pisses in your house. 

   You clip a leash onto his collar, bracing yourself for the rush of excitement as you open the door. 

 

            ~~~

 

   You end up dropping Shiva off back at home after your walk, not wanting to risk him running away whilst you carry groceries home.

   The cool air of the grocery mart welcomes you, and you hear the cheery, "Welcome!" of somebody manning the till. You wave back, grabbing a basket before moving to the aisle.

   Things like fruit, vegetables and meats fill your basket as you hunt for the best prices. The mart is having a sale on their meats now, so you grab an extra package. The staff working the aisles stop and smile at you when you pass; this is your usual spot to shop, so you recognize most people here. It’s been under a month that you’ve been here and you’re loving this new life. 

   You move to the spices area, checking the colourful containers carefully(a/n: lol say that five times fast). You grab ground cloves, garlic and ginger. Sage is good for sauces, and you can never go wrong with thyme. You debate grabbing bay leaves and pepper corns, but then just say fuck it and take both. You look up, and stop.

   Shit. Frowning, you analyze the advantages and disadvantages of this situation.

   Sitting right on the top shelf is paprika, on for a really amazing price. What's wrong is that it's on the very top. And you're short. Damn it. 

   You grit your teeth, and shift to your toes so that you can try and grab the offensive bottle of dark powder that just sits teasingly above your head. Your fingertips brush the tall container, making you swallow and reach up farther. You don't get it, though, because a pale hand closes around it first.

   You jerk back in surprise, the back of your head hitting a solid chest. Shock courses through you as you turn around and meet a pair of silver blue eyes.

   Levi?


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meeting Levi at the supermarket... and a few more times after that..

            ~Your POV~

 

   Your (e/c) eyes meet silver blue ones, simple shock and slight confusion mirroring yours. You can see your reflection in his pupils, and you look slightly out of breath.

   "Levi?"

   He grunts his acknowledgment, and brings his arm down, still holding the paprika. As he steps back, you get a slight whiff of some sort of flower and soap that resembles cedar. It's really nice, and you almost feel like leaning into it. 

   "Brat. What're you doing here?" Levi's dark hair hasn't changed, and the dark circles under his eyes are still prominent. The dark red beanie on his head matches his Vans, black laces the same colour as the dark tag on the hat. 

   The loose grey shirt he has on has a pocket on the left side, small words printed along it: Fight Me. His black jeans are more form fitted, but not skinny and look really comfortable. There's a leather bracelet around his right wrist, and a green shopping basket hooked in the crook of his arm. A phone is in the hand not holding paprika.

   Your brow quirks with a twang of annoyance. "I'm shopping. Not sure about you, but I would rather not starve." You turn away, and struggle again to grab the stupid spice. You roll up onto your toes, scowling and your fingertips brush the plastic. 

   "Oi, dimwit, you can't reach that. You're too small."

   You shuffle forwards a bit, completely ignoring Levi and his attitude. You almost have the bottle in your palm when your shoe sticks to the floor, and you have to go back to flat feet before you topple over the shelves. Damnit.

   "Jeez, stubborn."

   The cedar scent washes over you along with a shadow on the shelf and suddenly there's the bottle of paprika in front of you, pale fingers holding the top. Heat washes over your back, and you realize just how close he actually is.

   "Uh...thanks...?"

   He doesn't respond, just turns away and continues his path down the aisle, grabbing the odd something on the shelves.

   You quirk your lips once, and turn in the opposite direction to find the rest of your list, because there's no way you would meet up twice. You're almost done anyways, and his basket looked about half full. 

   Scratch that. You and Levi meet up again at the checkout.

   He glares at you as the cashier nervously swipes his items over the infrared light. The poor man gets to stand all of your conversation. "Brat, are you following me?"

   "As if. You're the one following me, stalker."

   "I'm not a stalker."

   "Would you prefer 'pervert'?"

   "Would you prefer 'obnoxious brat' instead of just brat?" 

   You don't normally bicker like this, but while your exchange with Levi is seemingly hostile and could look dangerous to an outsider, you can see the gleam of amusement in his eyes when you quip something back. It almost seems friendly, if not welcoming. Odd to say about bicker, but it's true.

   "I could change it back to stalker?"

   "But then that would make mine 'Shortstuff', since you're smaller than me."

   "Fight me, Levi."

   He smirks. Just a small, curve of his lip, and it sets your insides on fire. You haven't felt attraction to anybody since you left home, and even then it was just a simple 'oh, that persons pretty damn hot. Cool.', so the feeling of actual wanting leaves you breathless. Levi snatches a pen off the counter, and grabs your hand while you're lost in thought. You almost yelp, not used to people touching you, but the tickle of the pen on your palm makes you stop. You glance over Levi's fingers to watch him write, because is everything about this person so damn perfect?! Even the numbers loop almost identically!

   Levi gathers his bags in one hand, and waves to you over his back as you stand in the checkout line, staring at the black numbers written on your hand. Curling your fingers, you turn to the cashier to help bag your items and pay.

   If you did a mental happy dance while screaming internally in joy... well that's nobody's business.

 

            ~~~

 

   You type the numbers into your phone as you wait for the stoplight to change so you can walk across the busy street. Lunchtime on a Saturday proves to be insanely busy, and you end up waiting with a huge group of people on the sidewalk. You see someone dressed in all black spamming the button on the side of the stoplight pole, and sigh as the light doesn't change, titling Levi's contact info as 'Stalker'. If anybody were to go through your phone, it may be unsettling, but you have a feeling that when you text Levi that it's you, he changes it to 'Shortstuff.' A few more seconds pass, cars creating an artificial wind that blows the stray hairs in your face into your eyes. At least you took Shiva out before going shopping; the poor dog would have peed himself in the house.

   Speaking of shopping, you should probably see what the mall nearby has to offer for fall and winter clothes. You hardly have any jeans, and definitely need to invest in a better pair of winter shoes. A new jacket wouldn't hurt either. Spending your parents money doesn’t bug you, especially since they basically forced you to move, and now want you back. 

   People start walking around you, and you start into action, realizing the light changed. It's like a mob, and people do that half run half walk thing across to make sure they beat the lights. You stick with the same pace, comfortably waking with the people around you that match your speed. You stare straight ahead, and think that you caught the top of a red beanie in the crowd. Blinking, you look again, but it's gone.

   You step up onto the sidewalk, and turn left into the city. Planning on dropping you groceries off at your apartment before going out again, you melt into the mob of people that are going that direction. Until you get stopped. 

   Fingers curl around your wrist and you immediately try to rip your arm away, finding it futile. Whipping your head around, you see an older man, not elderly, but old enough to warrant a cane and bifocals. Behind the glasses are striking green eyes, ones that remind you of moss. The inside ring, however, is dark brown and looks exactly like bark. He smiles slightly at you, but his grip on your arm makes you uncomfortable.

   "Can I help you?" You pull on your arm again, but to no avail. People walk by you, but all they offer are side glances and stares. 

   "Yes, I think you can." Those forest coloured eyes gleam with intent, and you shudder. _Let go let go. I need to go just let me go!_ "Can you help me carry my groceries? I know you have your own, but I can't carry both with a cane."

   "Uh-"

   "Oi, Shortstuff, who's this?"

   Fingers tighten around your wrist, and you watch as the man's eyes turn hard and less inviting. Frustration takes part in them. You, however, almost melt in relief at Levi's voice, hardly wincing at the pain on your bone. 

   "I'm no one, son." The man releases your arm, and you pull it quickly back to your side and move backwards towards Levi. When you smell cedar, you release the breath you didn't know you were holding. The man holds his hand up in mock surrender, but you watch as Levi narrows his eyes suspiciously. "Just giving her back something she dropped, right miss?" Green eyes turn on you, making you feel cornered and small. You hesitate because that leer is back and it makes you squirm where you stand. You shuffle closer to Levi, so close that your shoulder brushes his arm, and you turn towards him the smallest bit. You know he's a little bigger and stronger than you, and you take safety in that thought.

   "Shortstuff?" Levi leans even closer to you, and you avoid his eyes the best you can. The feeling of his arm pressing against yours makes you blush despite the situation. "Is he telling the truth?" He moves to catch your gaze again, but you suddenly find the concrete interesting. Levi takes that as his answer, and you feel warm inside as his arm wraps securely around your waist, drawing him between you and the man. He glares hard. "Don't ever fucking talk to her again, got it?" He nearly spits the words, and you can see the man's eyes widen, then narrow in a slightly smug look. You shiver, not liking the way his gaze rakes you up and down. Suddenly, the mans eyes look way too young for the amount of wrinkles on his face.

   Levi turns away from the man, pulling you with him, and you both start walking away from him, leading towards both of your homes, and leaving the man in your tracks.

 

            ~~~

 

   Levi watches as you unlock your door, the plain white paint a little chipped under the metal letters that read B8. B for the second floor, and 8 for the third apartment in from the right. Simple. Levi's is B7, and the ground floor is letter A, then 1 to 5.

   You're ready for Shiva when he comes rushing out of the doorway and into your waiting grip, Levi having taken your groceries despite your protests. Sadly, it meant he had to release your waist, but he didn't let you stray too far away from him while you walked back to your apartments. He didn't stifle you, but carefully kept you company in a protective way that you haven't felt in years.

   "Levi, this is Shiva. Shiva, careful, because this is a stalker."

   "You wound me, Shortstuff."

   Gently pulling your dog back in to your house, you don't even care when Levi ducks in and shuts the door behind him. In fact, you subconsciously hoped for it. You liked the stoic boy a little more than you would like to admit.

   Levi sniffs once, smelling bleach and Windex, and let his lips curve slightly. You don’t notice.

   You close the fridge and cupboards after putting your groceries away, finding that Levi just left his on the counter by the door. You smile softly as Shiva flurries around Levi's legs, his tail in constant motion and his tongue lolling out of his mouth only to be pulled back in so he can put it back out. Levi rubs and cups the dogs head in his hands, scratching his ears the best he can.

   You turn towards the rest of your apartment, feeling slightly embarrassed about something. Maybe it's the familiarity of him actually seeing the way you decorate...or don't decorate. Potted plants and little paintings are the furthest you've gone with extra furnishings, and you hope as the year progresses you get more mementoes. Jean is into photography- a secret hobby, of course, but he loves to take pictures of almost anything, especially Marco. Maybe he might print some with all three of you for you. "Welcome to my home. It probably looks exactly like yours, only I have a cat and dog."

   Levi looks up, his beanie staying perfectly on his head. His eyes spark with raw interest, something you might see in a child. You nearly melt at the sight."You have a cat?" 

   As if to announce her great entrance, Mocha comes stalking down the hallway, tail high and eyes prideful. You snicker at her antics. "Yup. and she's a drama queen-slash-diva. Give her any attention and she won't leave you alone," you warn, but Levi ignores you, the bastard, and reaches down to gently lift Mocha into his arms, where she snuggles into his neck. 

   "She's cuddly," Levi states as Mocha leans her head into his hand when he pets her cheek, but your lack of response makes him glance towards you. 

   Your mouth is slightly gaping, hand frozen halfway between the fridge with a carton of eggs. Levi keeps his gaze partly on that to make sure they don't slip out of your fingers, but you snap out of your shock quickly. "She's not normally so friendly with strangers."

   You had adopted the cat from a shelter that housed abused animals. You liked the cute, healthy cats at different shelters, but you really wanted to make a difference in at least one animals life, so you went for those you could help. Kinda cheesy, but you could care less. Mocha belonged to a family of mostly girls who would find pleasure in kicking her across the room or yanking on her tail, causing the limb to be a little longer than normal. She was malnourished, unbrushed, and overall unhealthy. It had taken days for her to actually let you touch her when you got home. She stayed near the couch or your bed, staring at you with narrowed eyes. When it clicked that you wouldn't dare hurt her, she became an essential part of your life, demanding your attention instead of fleeing from it. Both her and Shiva are.

   "Oh? She just has good taste."

   "I'm sure. She apparently likes stalkers."

   "Fuck you."

   You smile to yourself at Levi's jibe, hardly finding any malice in it. You've hardly known him for a day, and now you're bickering like longtime friends. You bite your cheek in glee. Friends.

   Oh, speaking of friends, what are Jean and Marco doing? Maybe they want to come over and have another movie night. Maybe they can invite some of their friends, and you can meet more nice people? That'd be amazing...

   You're so lost in thought while restocking the freezer that you don't notice your phone buzzing on the counter. Levi does, and leans over, curious to see who's blowing up your phone. He knows that being new, you don't have a lot of friends and even though you have some, he knows your they aren't the type to spam your notifications. Wow, maybe he is a stalker, jeez.

   He just means to look at the contact, but when he sees the same unknown number over and over, he frowns suspiciously and stares at the actual messages. By the time you turn around, his gaze is somewhere else, easily hiding the shock that ripped across his features milliseconds prior.

 

            ~~~

 

   Levi ends up staying for a couple hours, helping you clean and unpack and whatnot. You still had a few boxes that didn't even have the tape cut, but after those hours, all your books were on the shelves and your small picture collection was set up around them or hanging in the hallway. Most of them are landscape shots, taken by a special friend or by yourself, but there is the odd one that contains your happy face and somebody else, name not forgotten by far.

   When the clock turns its time to 11:00, Levi states that his groceries need unpacking themselves, and makes for the door promptly. You nearly stumble over yourself helping him get all his stuff, pulling his beanie out from under a sleeping Mocha begrudgingly and trying to brush the white fur off in vain.

   “Sorry, she was sleeping on it. I can get something to get it off if you want?” Levi just takes his hat from your hands, tucking it in his back pocket and raising a brow at you. You smile sheepishly. “I guess you are just next door...”

   Levi huffs, standing awkwardly at the door. He seems hesitant, and it’s like time slows down. All there is is the sound of both of your breathing and the faint rumble of cars outside. The lights are mostly off, leaving you home a little darker, but a light in the living room bathes the entire scene in a soft glow. It’s so good.

   Levi coughs, shuffles his feet towards you, and sets a hand on your head. You close an eye as his hand slides to your forehead, the heel of his palm on your eyebrow. He leans close. 

   “If that creepy old man bothers you again, call me. See you.”

   You hardly register when the door shuts, too focused on the heat gathering in your cheeks. 

 

   

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sup boysss
> 
> So I've been dead for a little while, but I'm hoping to update a variety of fics in the next couple weeks, including Dean's Angel of Death Adventures, Abandoned Haven, and to FINALLY finish that 10k/Reader fic. 
> 
> I started watching Voltron: Legendary Defender (a little cringey, but I found a new shipppp) and maybe I might write a oneshot? Maybe. Between school and stuff I'm swamped, but I'm gonna try!!
> 
> Ps- I was watching TWD and found that King Ezekiel has a goddamn tiger named Shiva, so that makes the entire name a little bit cooler!
> 
> (SO MANY FANDOMS...)

**Author's Note:**

> Sooo......
> 
>  
> 
> Who likes this?!
> 
> Drop a comment if you did ;)
> 
>  
> 
> I don't have a name for the puppy, so leave something you think is appropriate, and I will pick one from either comments or just off the top of my head!!
> 
>  
> 
> Buh bye for now...


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